Maryland Avenue 4-to-3 Lane Conversion Trial Open House November - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Maryland Avenue 4-to-3 Lane Conversion Trial

Open House November 19, 2019

Presentation Overview

• Lane reductions in Ramsey County
• Core transportation principles
• 2020 study and evaluation
• Benefits and trade-offs
• Maryland Avenue 4-to-3

Lane Conversion Trial

• Background
• Trial implementation
• Analysis
• Remaining schedule

Four-lane undivided Three-lane w/center turn lane

• Ensuring equitable access to people of all abilities to use the

County transportation network

• Ensuring safety for all when using the

County transportation network

• Implementing an integrated and fully interconnected

transportation system utilizing a variety of modes

• Aligning all transportation principles and policies with

comprehensive planning

• Incorporating sensitivity to environment and context in all

transportation planning

• Incorporating meaningful engagement with communities

Ramsey County Core Transportation Principles*

* from Ramsey County’s All Abilities Transportation Network Policy

Ramsey County Lane Reduction Study and Evaluation

An evaluation of undivided four-lane roads in the county to determine whether a lane reduction would have a positive impact is expected to be completed in 2020. Criteria to be considered:

Benefits

• Safer and easier crossings for

pedestrians

• Reduced vehicle speed
• Left turns separated from

through traffic

• Reduced crash severity

Trade-offs

• Increased travel time
• Longer lines of vehicles at traffic

lights

• Fewer gaps between vehicles:

difficult for vehicles to cross or make left turns

4-to-3 Lane Conversions: Benefits and Trade-offs

Background

Maryland Avenue 4-to-3 Lane Conversion Trial

What changes were expected during the three-lane trial?

• Improved safety
• Decreased vehicle speeds
• Decreased injury crashes
• Decreased rear-end/sideswipe crashes
• Increased pedestrians crossing
• Impacts to vehicle movements
• Increased travel time/delay/back ups during rush hour
• Fewer gaps between vehicles
• Potential increased use of nearby streets
• Improved quality of life
• Improved driver/pedestrian comfort

How is the three-lane trial being evaluated?

Community Feedback

Positive

• Improved pedestrian and motorist safety
• Enhanced pedestrian crossing helps protect

pedestrians and prevents motorists from driving down center left-turn lane

• Would like to see 3-lane permanently

implemented on Maryland Avenue and other 4-lane undivided roads

Challenges

• Increased delay and backups, especially

during morning/afternoon rush hours

• Illegal use of center two-way left-turn lane
• Fewer gaps in traffic

Photos from open house and walking tour (July 2019)

Pedestrian Crossings

• During study period, minimal change in pedestrian

behavior was observed

• Pedestrian counts were collected over two
• bservation days before and after the 4-to-3-lane

conversion

• Pedestrian crossings at Clark Street were down.

Pedestrians are encouraged to cross at either Arkwright Street or Desoto Street (away from the eastbound merge at Clark Street)

Vehicle Gaps

• As expected, vehicle

gaps are down, resulting in an increase in side-street delay

• However, side-street

delay increases average approximately 10 seconds

Traffic Volumes

Traffic volumes down approximately 100 vehicles per rush hour

Vehicle Speeds – Maryland Avenue

• Maryland Avenue

average speeds have declined 4-6 mph

Vehicle Speeds – Parallel Streets

• No observed

speed increase on nearby parallel streets

• Overall, no

consistent pattern

• f speed change
• n parallel streets

Vehicle Delay/Backups

• As expected, vehicle delay is up during the

AM/PM rush hours

• However, rush hour delay is still well within

acceptable standards for an urban setting

Eastbound Average Travel Time (s) Average Travel Speed (mph) Level

• f

Service Average Travel Time (s) Average Travel Speed (mph) Level

• f

Service AM Peak Hour 115 23 B 132 20 B Off-Peak 104 26 A 122 22 B PM Peak Hour 148 18 C 180 15 C 4-Lane 3-Lane Trial Westbound Average Travel Time (s) Average Travel Speed (mph) Level

• f

Service Average Travel Time (s) Average Travel Speed (mph) Level

• f

Service AM Peak Hour 118 23 B 158 17 C Off-Peak 96 28 A 114 24 B PM Peak Hour 121 22 B 122 22 B 4-Lane 3-Lane Trial

Travel Time

• As expected, travel time is up slightly

(≤40s) during the AM/PM rush hours from Westminster to Greenbrier

• Travel time increases are lower during
• ff-peak periods (≤20s) from

Westminster to Greenbrier

Crash Experience

Note: More crash data will be gathered at the end of the three-lane trial period

Remaining Schedule

Thank you!

For more information: Contact Ramsey County Project Manager: Rachel Broughton, PE rachel.broughton@ramseycounty.us 651-266-7140 ramseycounty.us/marylandlaneconversion